Two Sussex pubs have been included in a list of the best places to have a roast.
The Plough in Rye and the Cat Inn in West Hoathly, near East Grinstead, were named by the Good Food Guide as being home to two of the best 50 roast dinners in the UK.
Judges said The Cat Inn, North Lane, offers “Sunday lunch perfection”.
“There’s a lot of local love for this well-tended, 16th-century inn on a Sussex hilltop, although one reader regularly travels down from Hertfordshire for the Sunday roast,” they said.
“Three dominate the menu and they couldn’t be more traditional: aged sirloin of beef with horseradish sauce, Orchard Farm pork belly with ‘sizzling crackling’ and apple sauce, chicken breast and crispy leg with caramelised bread sauce. In short, ‘Sunday lunch perfection’.”
The Plough, in Udimore Road, was commended for its “top notch” ingredients.
“‘Leaps and bounds better than anywhere else in the area,’ is one verdict on the Sunday roasts served at this amicable country pub three miles from Rye,” said the judges.
“Top-notch local and seasonal ingredients dominate, from headliners such as leg of Winchelsea lamb or aged Castle Farm beef sirloin with horseradish hollandaise to bowls of cauliflower cheese made using regional cheeses such as Sussex Charmer and Twineham Grange. Plenty of effort also goes into the veggie alternatives.”
Elsewhere in the country, pubs including The Devonshire in Soho, London, got a shoutout for its “brilliant and insane enterprise that has redefined the meaning of Sunday lunch in the city”, the Blacklock in Canary Wharf was named the best place for group dining, while the best value award was given to the Lagom at Hackney Church Brew Co in London and the best vegan accolade was awarded to Shrub in Chester.
Earlier this year, The Walrus in Brighton was also named one of the best places in the UK to have a roast dinner.
The Ship Street pub ranked 12th in a list of the top 20 pubs and restaurants to enjoy the much-loved British staple.
Travel site Big 7 Travel judged pubs based on criteria including customer opinions, convenience and accessibility of the establishments, roast presentation, value for money and dining experience.
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